Moore’s reward is raised awareness

Julianne Moore has insisted the most rewarding part of her role in Still Alice has been helping raise awareness for people with early onset Alzheimer’s.

The 54-year-old actress has already won 17 awards for her performance as a linguistics professor who battles to keep going with her normal life and career after being diagnosed with the disease, and is nominated for an Oscar and a Bafta.

Moore attended a special screening of Sill Alice at the Curzon Mayfair in London today, hosted by the Alzheimer’s Society, and said she had had a great response from sufferers who have seen the film.

She said: “It’s been really amazing, I have to say. That’s probably the most rewarding experience that I’ve had, because I think there’s a tremendous amount of shame around the disease and people feel like they’re not seen, they feel isolated.

“And so it’s been nice to hear from people that their experience was represented and they felt seen.”

Moore admitted that attending so many awards ceremonies could be hard work, but she hopes it will encourage more people to see the movie, which is released in the UK in March.

She said of her experience at awards season: “It’s a lot, it’s definitely a lot, but it brings so much attention to the movie, and this is a movie we all care about, and so it’s wonderful because hopefully people will see the film.”

The Hunger Games star added: “It’s so, so nice to receive these accolades, particularly from your peers. There are so many great performances and great films every year, so if people even bother to write down your name, it’s really lovely.”

Moore is all set to walk the red carpet at the Bafta awards at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden on Sunday night, where she is in the running for the Best Actress gong.

She said of her dress: “I had a fitting yesterday, so I think it will all be OK.

“I do think it should be fun. It really is a privilege to get to wear these beautiful clothes and to work with these exciting designers. It’s fun to play dress-up for the night.”